First Look

The Original Mini came about as so many good automotive ideas did, because of a need for a small fuel efficient car inexpensively priced automobile. Within a few years the Mini came to symbolize the very essence of the '60's. With its go-hart handling it began to be used for rallying. Additional versions were created, from station wagons to pickups. Once John Cooper got his hands on one a legend was born. Fast forward to October 1999 just before the final Classic Mini rolled of the production line, the concept for a new MINI was unveiled at the Paris Auto Show. With the introduction of the new MINI history was set to repeat itself. The Countryman is the latest version of the MINI. It joins the Coupe, Convertible, Roadster, and Clubman to provide a full line of vehicles.

Thanks to the MINI USA website for details and background on the Mini. This site also offers a cool tool that will allow you to select colors, features etc. to build your very own version. ( http://www.miniusa.com)

Here are the basic stats from the box and instruction sheet:

Scale: 1/24

Glue assembly, paint required

Molded in white, grey, black, plus clear, silver and chrome parts

Decal sheet with multiple stripes and roof decals

The MINI Countryman depicted in this kit is the new 4 wheel drive All4 taking its name from the classic Mini Countryman. This model is a crossover SUV with minimal off road ability.

The car body comes as a single molding with all the doors, hood and tailgate molded shut. The detail is very good with both scribed and raised detail that looks good and in-scale. One major negative point is that this is a curbside model with no engine detail, however the chassis detail is fairly comprehensive.

The interior includes both Left and Right hand drive dash boards. Great for those of us who want to model a left hand drive car. The rear seats are molded onto the interior, with the fronts molded as two pieces. The side/ door panels are separate to aid painting. You have the option of 2 sets of wheels; 5-star double spoke and the 18" Turbo Fan Spokes. You can build the kit with poseable front wheels.

The chrome sprue contains the backing for the head and tail light assemblies The clear sprue contains the windshield and side windows molded as a one piece unit, the rear window, head and tail light covers as well as various small lenses. The windows have some guidelines to help you mask the black surrounds as on the real car.

The decal sheet includes the body markings, instruments, stripes, and roof decals. There are also a decal for the rear window defrost and some MINI dealer plates. The license plates are European spec so you'll have to go to the parts box for an American style plate. There are 4 rubber tires, they have the low profile look of the real car, and they have a nice tread pattern that looks to scale.

A very good representation of the MINI and with attention to detail painting and assembly a fine shelf model can be built. However the US retail price is steep, which unfortunately is typical for imported Japanese kits. Even so this kit is highly recommended!

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